


Aftermath

by Fire_Bear



Series: Tumblr Requests [2]
Category: Kingsman (Movies)
Genre: Car Accidents, F/M, First Meetings, High School, Permanent Injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-30
Updated: 2016-12-30
Packaged: 2018-09-13 06:57:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9111553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fire_Bear/pseuds/Fire_Bear
Summary: One slight mistake causes a devastating car crash - and that is how Richmond Valentine meets Gemma Johnstone.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [aliesiar](https://archiveofourown.org/users/aliesiar/gifts).



> Gemma Johnstone is Gazelle - for reasons which will become apparent, I don’t use the name Gazelle. The ‘boy’ and ‘girl’ are meant to be Eggsy and Roxy, by the by. Lastly, this is set in America for some reason, which is why Eggsy don’t say bruv, mate.
> 
> For this prompt: 12. “I think we need to talk.”

The Valentine family was rich. It may have influenced the name they chose for their son, Richmond Valentine. He didn't mind too much as he had had sixteen years to come up with witty retorts for the people who mocked him. Unfortunately, Harry Hart was nothing if not tenacious and Richmond found himself the target when people were bored.

Besides the bullies and the irritating younger students who whined about everything, Richmond's life wasn't too bad. He could fiddle with bits of technology to his heart's content and his parents would always buy new things to work with. A whole wing of their large house was given over to his meddling and he enjoyed his time there. So, life was good.

Until the night of the fateful crash. Lawrence Everton had just turned seventeen and, as one of Richmond's few friends, he had invited him to come join him in his first trip out in his new car. Unfortunately, Charlie Hesketh and a friend of his also turned up, bringing alcohol with them. They got rowdy. Lawrence was distracted. He ran a red light. There was a girl on the road whose eyes met Richmond's when he spotted her. Lawrence swerved to avoid her. The car ploughed into the wall of an office building.

He woke up a few minutes later, lying on his side several metres down the street. When he sat up, his head swam and he put his hand to his head. That was a mistake for he found his hand was covered in blood when he pulled it away. With his phobia of blood, Richmond instantly rolled onto his hands and knees and began to throw up. It didn't help that he had long cuts up his arms and could see the blood seeping from the wounds, too.

That was when he heard movement beside him and he looked around to find the girl from before dragging an unconscious Charlie along the sidewalk. She let him drop beside Richmond and rolled him onto his side. When she looked up, they stared at each other, Richmond shocked at the fact that she was going out of her way to save them all. She flashed him a quick smile and turned back to the car.

Before Richmond could gather himself enough to attempt to help, the car exploded. The force of it knocked him over and he could barely hear the scream above it. Struggling to his feet, trying to force back the bile at the blood dripping from Charlie's broken wrist, he staggered towards the car, eyes wide. The girl was on her back, her legs at odd angles and bits of metal and glass stuck deep within her flesh. Lawrence was nowhere to be seen and he could only assume he had still been in the car.

Afterwards was a blur. There were ambulances and police and bandages and questions, questions, questions. Richmond found himself at his first ever funeral and standing at the grave of one of his best friends. Then it was back to school and the fascination of his fellow pupils until the novelty wore off and he was regarded with disdain once again.

Through it all, Richmond remembered the girl's frightened expression and then her determined one as she tried to drag them all from the wreckage one by one. He wanted to know what had happened to her and so he begged his parents till they used their influence to find out. As it turned out, she went to the school at the other end of town and hadn't been released from hospital as of two weeks after the accident. Apparently, the debris from the car had damaged her legs so badly, they were doubtful she would walk again. His parents refused to let him go there and he had backed down.

“What are you up to?” Harry Hart asked him one day when he was sitting in the library, sketching the memory of the girl rather than doing any work.

“Nothing,” he replied, trying to close the pad. He wasn't quick enough and Harry pulled it towards him, staring down at the picture. “It's got nothing to do with you.”

“Who's this, then?” Harry smirked down at him, obviously thinking he could use her to make fun of him.

“She's the girl who pulled me from the car,” Richmond snapped.

“Oh,” said Harry, deflating. There was an awkward pause. “Did you get to speak with her, then?”

Richmond blinked. “No.”

“Are you going to?”

“I don't know. I think she's back at school now, but mom and dad don't think I should go to her.”

Harry considered this before handing back the pad. “You could always skip class and wait outside her school. Tell your parents you're going out with friends so they don't go looking for you.”

“And what if they try calling my friends?”

“Mention me,” Harry told him. “I'll cover for you.” And, with that, he left.

That was how Richmond found himself outside of the crummy school, still pondering Harry's sudden goodwill. There were tiles missing from the roof and some of the windows were boarded up. Thugs and dangerous-looking punks passed him by, shooting him considering looks. Nervously, he chewed on some gum he had bought on the way over.

Finally, the bell rang, shrill over the relative silence. Richmond moved to the side and peered around the brick pillar at the gate. People began to leave, some in more of a hurry than others. Some made their way to their cars and others headed for the hideous yellow buses that were waiting nearby. It took a while for the building to disgorge its prisoners but, eventually, Richmond spotted a boy and girl helping someone get down the steps in their wheelchair. When they finally got it to level ground, the boy moved out of the way and hurried around to the handles and Richmond could finally see the girl he was looking for, still as pretty as ever. The other girl, the brunette, said something and both Rich's girl and the boy behind her laughed.

When they reached the gate, clearly intending to walk somewhere, Richmond stepped into their path. They stopped and the boy immediately got defensive. “What d'ya want?” he snapped, eyes narrowed as he took in his appearance.

“I was hoping to speak to... Gemma Johnstone?”

“That's me,” the girl answered, frowning at him. “Aren't you...?”

“Yeah,” said Richmond, flashing her a smile. He took a deep breath to steady his nerves and quickly continued. “I think we need to talk.”

“Gem,” said the boy, his warning clear.

“Sure,” Gemma answered, clearly ignoring her friends.

The boy and girl looked at each other. When the girl raised her eyebrows, the boy rolled his eyes but shrugged. “Fine,” he sighed. “Just call us when ya need us to take ya home, 'kay?”

Once they had left, Gemma stared up at him. “What did you want to talk to me about?”

“I was just wondering... how your legs were?”

“Useless,” Gemma answered, bluntly. “Won't walk again.”

“I'm sorry,” Richmond told her and genuinely meant it. “I wish there was something I could do.”

“Well, unless you want to make me new legs, I'm sure you can't. But thank you for thinking of me.”

“And thank you for saving me. I'm sorry that-”

“You don't need to apologise,” Gemma interjected. “It was an accident. Now. Did you want to stand here all day or are we going to go somewhere to sit and talk?”

As she awkwardly turned the wheelchair, a frown on her face as she concentrated, Richmond vowed he would find a way to give her legs again if it was the last thing he did.

 


End file.
